The Curse of Xerxes
by FlangstPrince
Summary: In the kingdom of Xerxes, two young princes lives are changed forever as everything in their perfect life falls apart. Now, Prince Edward has got to rescue his brother, how hard can it be? Medieval Royalty AU.
1. Simple Beginnings

**Hello! New Story! This is a Medieval Au I had floating in my head for a bit so I got some of it down! I'm still working on the next chapter of Doppelganger so have this in the meantime! Also note that this is just the first chapter and the fun stuff will begin in chapter two. Enjoy!**

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Roy Mustang felt he was in too high of a position for the task he was given. He squinted as he gazed down the road, looking for any signs of his targets. He considered asking around, but he felt it best not to let other people know of the escaped troublemakers that were out on the streets. He wandered towards the marketplace as people bargained prices of foods and other goods.

To his left, he could see children gathered around a fountain splashing water at each other, trying to beat the desert heat of Xerxes. His eyes scanned the area of the fountain and found the targets nowhere near either. Mustang was getting sick of the search already. He was captain of the guard for god's sake, not a damn nanny.

He continued to search the area for a pair of golden heads in regal clothes, but knowing the boys he was sure they would be blending in. He rubbed at his temples in frustration. The search was surely going to take all day at this rate, why couldn't the boys just listen?

He slowed his pace as sweat began to gather on his forehead, he continued to scan his surroundings at a slower pace, looking in all the nooks and crannies. He figured he could rule out shops since they had no money. Any place that it would be odd to see children wandering around would most likely be out as well since they would look out of place. They were smarter than that.

Mustang's hand traveled up to his chin in his thoughts, looking straight ahead but stopped in his tracks when he heard two familiar voices from behind him.

"Look at him! Isn't he cute brother!?"

"I think that's a she actually." another voice responded.

"Fine, she then, either way her name is Fluffles." a little giggle was heard.

"Really? You are calling her th-"

"Prince Edward and Alphonse! You get back to the palace at once!" The shorter of the two boys gave an irritable frown.

Prince Edward, the older brother shrugged as he turned to the taller boy, "Welp, looks like the cat's out of the bag."

"No! She's in my arms!" Alphonse replied with a grin at the pun he'd made. Mustang however was not amused as he motioned for them to follow. Al reluctantly bade the cat farewell, following his brother and the captain.

As the boys were escorted back to the castle they laughed about the day they'd had, Mustang only sighed and muttered, "What are we going to do with you?"

At their arrival a chestnut haired woman was waiting for them, a stern look on her face.

Edward and Alphonse offered sheepish smiles, "Hi mom." the two voices were dripping with anxiety.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do." she sat down on a couch, offering her sons a seat as well. After the boys took their seats, a few tense moments of silence followed.

Alphonse swallowed anxiously and bit his lip, not liking the feeling in the air, "We're sorry."

Queen Trisha patted his head, "It's okay, but I don't know why you two keep on disobeying your father and I."

Edward huffed and crossed his arms, "Other kids get to go out onto the streets and have fun, they have like eighty two percent more friends than Al and I will ever have. I just don't think it's fair."

Trisha frowned, "You know it's dangerous out there for two young princes, people could try and hurt you to try and get something from your father. We don't want that do we?" she stood and crouched in front of Ed, running her hands through his hair.

"No, we don't." Ed admitted, kicking his feet a bit. "It just gets so boring here, we don't have any friends."

The queen chuckled, "Well you have each other don't you? You also have Winry."

Ed groaned, "Playing with Winry is no fun!" he turned to Al, "Doesn't she just blab about her tinkering stuff the whole time whenever we ask to play?"

Al shuffled, "Well she does play with us, but she does get distracted from time to time…"

"Exactly!" Ed exclaimed.

Trisha sighed, "I know you want to get out there and have fun in your kingdom, but you are going to have to wait until you both are older, okay? We can't have an eight and nine year old wandering around unprotected. I don't know what I'd do with myself if something bad happened to you. Understand?"

The boys looked down and solemnly responded, "Yes mom."

Green eyes sparkled as she ruffled the boys' hair, "Alright then, you need to get washed up, dinner is soon. We're having Stew."

Ed's eyes lit up as he dragged Al behind him to the washroom, "Okay! We'll be down soon!"

The princes were soon downstairs and seated at the table, waiting for their father to arrive.

Trisha arrived at the table and hadn't even completely sat down before Ed whined, "Where's dad!? I'm freaking starving!"

"Brother be more patient, dad's just finishing up some stuff right mom?" Alphonse turned to his mother who nodded in response.

Edward huffed a little as his stomach grumbled, "I hope it's soon."

At his words two figures had entered the room, Captain Roy Mustang who was accompanying the king, Van Hohenheim.

"Finally." Ed exhaled in relief as he laid his head on the table, ready to eat.

Hohenheim took his seat as he looked towards his sons, "I was informed of your outing today.

Edward's happy mood immediately sank, "You can save the lecture dad, mom already gave us the speil."

"I wasn't going to lecture you boys, I was simply going to ask about your day, was it fun?"

Al grinned, "Yea! Brother and I had lots of fun! We went down to the market and some lady recognized us and gave us free moon buns! And then brother and I went walking around until I heard a meowing sound! I went to check it out and a big kitty was there!"

"Oh really, well it sounds like it was eventful."

"Yea, it was." Ed sounded distracted as he scanned for any servants entering the room.

"I wanted to take Fluffles home but then the Captain found us." Al pouted a little, "It was the biggest kitty I'd ever seen! I really wanted to keep her."

Trisha gave him a sad smile, "Well maybe we can find someone who's cat had kittens then Al."

A whine escaped the princes mouth, "But I want a big kitty! I'm sure that the one I found was the absolute biggest and the fluffiest, nothing will ever compare."

The king chuckled at his son, "I'm sure that there's another cat like that one out there. We'll see about getting a royal pet."

Al frowned but nodded his head in acceptance as a cart was rolled into the Dining Room. Ed could smell the food's call and his stomach was more than happy to answer.

The servant, a short woman in stature with light brown hair and green eyes pushed the cart closer to the table. "Looks like somebody is hungry. Luckily Chef Curtis made a lot today." She smiled and ladled the stew into a bowl before handing it to the young prince who graciously accepted it.

She passed around meals to everyone before returning to her cart with words from Trisha, "Thank you Gracia."

"No problem at all your Majesty." she replied with a smile, taking her leave.

Ed happily gulped down his stew as Alphonse kept going on about the cat while their parents smiled and listened.

Though Ed's grateful stomach was soon full and his bowl emptied while everyone else was still conversing. Ed kicked his legs, he didn't really feel like talking much.

Ed sighed and spoke up, "Mom, dad? Can I leave? I wanna have some down time before my Alchemy lessons."

"Brother, you have to ask 'may I be excused', it's the proper way." Al spoke up.

"Why? It means the same thing?"

"It's more polite-"

"You can go Edward." Trisha interrupted.

"Thanks mom!" Ed abandoned his seat and ran out the door heading towards his room. He dodged the taller Adult's legs that he passed by. He turned a corner, only to smash into someone his size.

"Ow! Ed…" the blue eyed girl trailed off, rubbing her head, "That hurt."

"Yea Winry? Well it hurt me too." Ed grumbled, rubbing his own aching head that had collided with Winry's.

"Where are you going in such a hurry anyhow?" she picked up her toolbox that she'd dropped.

"I was heading back to my room to read that new book your mom got me and Al for Solstice." Ed explained, eager to get reading.

"Oh! I think I got a chance to read it before my mom gave it to you guys! It's a really fun read!" she swung her toolbox around, "I'd join you but I'm tinkering with a clock." she explained, swinging her box around. "Unless you wanna join me?"

Ed shrugged, "Nah, I'd rather read my new book than watch you play with gears."

"I'm not playing, I'm tinkering Ed!"

"No wonder it's no fun then."

"Says the one who thinks books are more fun than reverse engineering a clock…" Winry crossed her arms and turned away.

"Well then ma-"

"There you guys are!" Al cut off Ed's words as he ran over towards them. Though he caught on to their expressions, "You guys okay?"

"Yea, I just butted heads with Winry." Ed shrugged.

"Do you need to see her parents?" Al asked anxiously.

"No we'll be fine, we don't need to see the Royal Doctors over a whack on the head." the older prince responded, "I'm heading to my room to get started on that new book, wanna come?"

"Sure!" Al turned to the other blonde, "You wanna come too Winry?"

She smiled, "No thanks, I already declined." I've gotta get started on my clock! See you boys around!" she rushed down the stairs to her destination while the golden princes ran to Ed's room.

Alphonse sat on the soft bed as Ed grabbed the book off of his desk. The older boy hopped onto the bed beside Al, earning a chuckle from the younger boy beside him.

They both shifted their positions until they were comfortable and began to read. It was a fictional story in which a knight had to defeat a dragon in order to save a princess, which Ed was greatly disappointed by.

"Damnit." Ed groaned, "Just another cliche book. Good read my ass."

"Brother, watch your language! I can see why Winry enjoyed it, the dragon looked kinda cool in the illustrations."

"I guess but it really could have been better." Ed reasoned, laying next to Al and patting his head in silence.

"Well maybe all the stories are the same because its all people have to work with, nobody had really been through much else so they have no other adventure tale to tell." Al offered.

"Mnn bullshit excuse." Ed huffed, "One day I'm gonna go on an adventure three thousand times as cool as the one in the book, and I'm gonna write all about it, just out of pure spite."

Al chuckled, "Well you better take me with you then."

Ed grinned, "You can definitely count on that."

"Hey brother?"

"Yea Al?" Ed mumbled tiredly.

"Doesn't it feel like we're forgetting something?"

"Mmm, maybe?" Ed drowsily replied, but suddenly stood alert and surprised as the door slammed open.

"You boys are late for your Alchemy lessons!"

"Ah! We're sorry teacher!"

Izumi Curtis was their teacher though she did not actually work as part of the royal staff, so her clothes were not servants clothing. Her dreadlocks went well with her intimidating eyes that meant business no matter what setting.

The boys were quite skilled in Alchemy for their age under the guidance of her and their father's research for he had not much time to teach his sons had discovered her skills due to being the chef's wife and had immediately begged her to be their teacher.

They quickly followed their teacher to their newest lesson as Ed wiped tiredness from his eyes, he'd be sure to dream up a better adventure tonight once he finally got to sleep.

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 **There is gonna be a lot more going on here so stay tuned, cause this is just an introduction! I hope you enjoyed! I would really appreciate any feedback you have for me! Thanks for reading.**


	2. The Thief With No Shape

**Chapter Two! Things pick up and the main conflict is introduced! Enjoy!**

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It had been a few days since their outing and the boys had been extensively watched at all hours of the day except for a select few. Those were the few that Edward enjoyed the most.

Edward was in his happy place, fast asleep and deep in his dreams. The best part of the day really did turn out to be the night. His bed was soft and his dreams of warm stew and adventure. However a noise next to him had him suddenly tense, gaining a bit of awareness.

His groggy mind slowly comprehended the command to open his eyes, and he jumped in surprise at what he saw right next to his face.

"Brother."

Ed jumped with a small yelp at the sudden appearance of his brother's golden eyes in his face, "Yeesh don't scare me like that Al."

"I'm sorry brother." Al looked down sheepishly as Ed noticed the door that joined their rooms was open.

"What the matter?" the older brother asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Al swallowed and leaned close to him, his voice growing quieter, "I-I think I heard someone outside my window… and it scared me but I looked anyways." he looked around in paranoia, "There was nobody there but then I heard shuffling on the other side of the door that goes to the hall." Al sniffed, "I-I think someone snuck in, I'm scared."

Ed had a serious expression as he made to get out of bed, "Are you sure?"

Al sniffed again, "Mhmm."

Ed hummed in response and carefully led himself and Al to his hall door and pushed it open. "Follow me." he whispered, carefully walking down the hall and peering around the corner. Nobody there.

Al's anxiety grew as they continued down the hallways, checking and seeing nobody each time. Al was beginning to think he was just hearing things when a noise was heard down the next hall.

Ed poked his head out and gasped before whipping it back, "Dad's study is open… and there's a light on."

Al's breath hitched, "Do you think it's just dad?"

"I doubt it." Edward replied, "I'm going in, you coming with me?"

A squeak escaped Al's mouth as he thought it over, "I'm not sure brother."

A bead of sweat ran down Ed's forehead, "C-come on Al, please? I-I'm afraid too but its less scary if we're together."

He took Al's hand and the smaller blond responded with a hesitant, "Alright…"

The boys slowly edged down the hallway as they heard noises from the room with the door cracked open. It seemed like they were digging for something.

Upon arrival at the door, the brother's squeezed hands as they peeked into the room.

What they saw was a man they did not recognize in guards attire, from the backside they could see he had short cropped blonde hair, and as he turned to them they saw blue eyes widen. The light from the candle flickered out as he extinguished it swiftly, scaring the two boys who ducked as the figure seemed to fly over them.

They quickly rushed to their parent's room and swung the doors open, "Mom! Dad! Somebody's in the Palace!"

Their father leaped out of bed and called to his wife, "Stay here and keep the boys safe in case anything happens."

Trisha nodded and held the boys close to her as Hohenheim ran out into the hall.

Hohenheim sought out the Captain of the guard who quickly called other guards out alongside him. "Find the man and capture him, we want him alive."

"Yessir!" the subordinates replied as they began to search the palace, but only found a broken window with no sign of the intruder.

"It seems he's escaped your Majesty." Second in Command Riza Hawkeye explained solemnly. "Any clues as to why he was here?"

The king shook his head, "I'm not sure."

Another guard approached from behind, "Actually your Majesty, I've received some information from the only witnesses."

The king turned around to see his sons, Alphonse looking sad, and Edward appearing brave. "He was in your study dad…"

The king had a revelation he hoped was incorrect as he rushed over to the door to find his trashed office.

He began digging through the mess of an office, desperately searching for something.

"What is it dad?" Alphonse asked, scared, "Did he take something?"

The king was staring sadly at an empty box that had been forced open. He turned to the man that brought Ed and Al with him, "Hughes, we need to find that man immediately. Tell Captain Mustang to get all the men he can chasing the criminal. I need him caught and the stolen item returned."

"Yes your Majesty." Hughes ran off to report to Mustang while the king tuned to the second in command.

"Hawkeye, take my sons back to their rooms."

"Yes my king." she grabbed the boys' hands and began to pull them away.

"W-wait!" Ed resisted, "Al and I saw him! We can help!"

Hohenheim shook his head, "I'm afraid not, leave this to the adults, they will take care of it. You need to get some sleep son."

Al grabbed Ed's hand, releasing a stubborn sigh from the older as they allowed themselves to be guided back to their rooms.

After Hawkeye left Al in his room, she left Ed in his as well, which Ed did not appreciate.

After her footsteps were far off, the door from Al's room creaked open as he peered in. Ed sat up and sighed, "You wanna sleep here tonight?"

Al nodded.

"Okay, climb in." it wasn't uncommon for the brothers to share a bed, it's why they had a door connecting their rooms.

Alphonse drifted off to sleep, nuzzling up to Ed, feeling safer with the presence of his brother. Though Ed never really did get to sleep that night.

* * *

The next morning, Edward was anything but happy.

He picked at his breakfast, falling asleep on top of his plate, worrying Al to the point that he didn't want to eat either.

Trisha couldn't have that.

She encouraged her boys to eat but only got the response that they weren't hungry.

"I think I'm gonna go out into the garden." Ed sighed, since the study was a mess it was off limits for the time being.

"I'll go too." Al said, sliding out of his own seat, following his brother and abandoning their full plates of breakfast.

Ed let out a loud sigh as he gazed out beyond the gates, watching the guards extensively search the areas around the castle for the thief they had seen last night.

He grumbled to himself, "It's not fair, we saw him, we are the only ones who know what he looks like and dad won't let us help."

"He's just trying to keep us safe, you know that brother." Al responded, kneeling near a fence.

"Yea yea, I know, I just think-" he noticed his brother's odd position, "What are ya doing Al?" he walked over to see Al feeding bits of his uneaten breakfast to the stray they had seen a few days prior.

"Hey, mom says not to feed strays, they'll never leave you alone." Ed reasoned as Al pet the cat's head.

"What if I don't want her to leave me alone?" Al shot back as the cat purred, "She's been showing up for the past couple days and I've been feeding her. She sought me out! Try petting her, you'll see how wonderful she is."

Ed rolled his eyes but still kneeled next to Al, slowly running his fingers over the cat's fluffy fur, she was really soft.

"She is a really big cat huh." Ed commented, she was bigger than any of the strays they had ever seen wandering the streets of the city, the cat was also had different markings than them.

"You think it's a foreign kind of cat?" Ed asked.

"I'm not sure, I mean she doesn't seem wild." Al pet her head, "She'd be in the desert anyways if she were."

"Yea, I guess so." Ed responded as he heard their mother call them inside, "Boys! Time for your studies!"

"Yes mom!" the responded together as they ran inside, the cat peering at them from beyond the gate.

The boys were not only skilled in alchemy under their teacher, but excelled in their studies which they seemed to have a natural gift for. They absorbed information like sponges.

The lessons always ended quickly, so they were out of there in no time, however there was something unexpected waiting for them in the hallway.

"Fluffles!" Al scooped up the massive cat and nuzzled her, cooing at her.

"How did it get in though?" Ed questioned.

"How did what get in?" a voice asked, approaching the boys. They both turned and the queen gasped, "My goodness, that's a… big cat."

"Her name is Fluffles! She's the cat I found a few days ago!" Al exclaimed, "Can we keep her? Please!?"

Trisha wanted to say that it wasn't a good idea to allow a former stray into the palace, but her son looked so very much happier than he was that morning. She ruffled his hair, "I don't see why not, we can keep her."

Al jumped for joy, cat still in his arms, "Fluffles gets to stay! We're gonna need a collar or a bandana so people know she's ours!"

"Why of course, why don't we go get that done somewhere today? I'm sure you boys would appreciate some time outside, right?"

The boys lit up, "Really!?"

Trisha smiled, "Of course! Now go get ready and meet me by the door."

"Yes mom!" Al was excited for his cat, but Ed was excited to go out and do stuff for once. It had been a long few days.

They were escorted by Maria Ross, a guard who had stayed behind to keep watch on the palace while most other guards were out looking for the thief. They entered the tailor's shop, Al with great enthusiasm and Ed, with great boredom.

"Come on Ed," Trisha Encouraged, don't you wanna help pick out a bandana color for Fluffles?"

Ed huffed and looked to the tailor who was wary about putting the collar on the cat. Claws were swiping and the cat was growling.

"I'm not sure we'll be able to even put a bandana on that thing." Ed mumbled, looking at the commotion as Trisha sighed.

"Fluffles will get used to it." Al said, looking at all the available colors the place had. Ed soon joined him and they had argued a bit until they settled on a brown-gold bandana.

Al ended up being the one who tied it because he seemed to be the only one who wouldn't get attacked by the mini mountain lion.

Once Fluffles had her collar and bandana they left the shop, Trisha holding their hands tightly. Ed slowed his pace as he looked at the groups of guards searching around for the thief, his composure saddened as he recalled the fact that his father still refused to let he and Al help. They had even seen the person, briefly, but they had seen him.

Edward just thought it was unfair that they weren't getting any details, they weren't even told what was stolen.

Edward huffed as his mother pulled him along, encouraging questions wondering if they were 'excited to tell their father about Fluffles', but all Edward could feel was grumpy.

That night at dinner Hohenheim was surprised by the new addition to the family, but the cat was not unwelcomed. He had mentioned to Trisha that the cat was a good distraction for the kids anyways.

The next morning, Al was found up bright and early, playing with the cat in their family room. Ed rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he grabbed a book off the shelf and cracked it open.

Words were half read and uncomprehended as his mind wandered about what exactly had happened that night. How did the thief get past the guards? Why was he wearing guards attire? He certainly didn't look like any guard he had seen before, Ed knew just about every guard's face and that guy was not among them. So if he wasn't a guard, where did he get the damn uniform? No guards had reported a missing one, and it was a hard one to replicate, nothing was adding up.

Edward had decided to investigate while Al was distracted with the new pet, and his parents attending Royal meetings.

He headed towards the guard's barracks as sneakily as possible, leaning up against the wall and listening attentively beside the door.

"So, has your team made any damn progress?" the man sounded like he was sipping out of a cup.

"No, it's like this person just disappeared off the edge of the earth."

"Or maybe he just has a really good hiding spot."

The other man paused, but then voiced his thoughts, "This guy is gonna be harder to find and kill than a dragon. Shit, it's exhausting."

"You think we'll get the glory of killing a dragon by killing him?" the man sniffed.

"At this rate we'll definitely get that and more, and we don't even have to kill a giant beast out for bloodlust." the man with a cup sipped again and set it down with a clank.

The other soldier barked out a laugh, "Yeah, dragons are to be feared, if one is spotted nearby it should be put to death as soon as possible, or it'll kill you and your family in your sleep." Edward found his nose beginning to betray him as he was overwhelmed with the need to sneeze.

The other man exhaled loudly, "Well let's hope this guy doesn't share that in common with a dragon too." Ed held his breath and squinted his eyes shut

A pause, "Yea…" Ed felt the urge slip away as he sighed in relief.

"So any strategies you are using to-"

"EEEIIIIiiiChOOOoo!"

The men could be heard quickly standing, "Someone's listening to us."

And with that, Edward bolted down the hallway quicker than a rabbit running from a fox. He panted as he mentally scolded his nose, how dare it betray him like that.

He rubbed at it as he wandered further, not really paying attention to where he was going. So the guy could be compared to a dragon huh… The man did seem to move like he had wings after all. Edward went over details in head as he walked.

"Why hello your highness." Ed jumped back as he realized where exactly he'd wandered.

"Hello Sig." he gave the man a small grin as he walked over and peeked at the dish he was preparing.

"Is that lunch?" he asked, inhaling the delicious scent.

"It is!" Sig confirmed, "Would you like a taste?"

"Yea!" Ed was handed a small slice of what seemed to be a triangular shaped piece of tortilla. Stuffed in between the two pieces looked to be peppers, cheese, and some spices. Edward popped one into his mouth and tears sprouted from his eyes.

"Mmmmmm," he sighed, "So good. Sig, what did we do ta' deserve your food?"

Sig let out a big hearty laugh, "Only the best for the royal family." he papped Ed on the head, "Now can you tell me while you came across the kitchen so suddenly, and so red in the face? You never come around here to sneak food without Alphonse."

Ed wracked his brain for an excuse, "Well, you see… It's actually, I…" he looked up to Sig who he obviously wasn't going to fool with his sputtering. He sighed, "I was… listening into some soldiers, please don't tell my dad."

Sig smiled, "Don't worry about me I don't have to tell him anything unless he orders me to." Ed grinned in response. "So why were you eavesdropping?"

Ed shuffled his feet as his snack was finished. "I'm just, upset that I can't help to solve the crime I witnessed cause it's 'too dangerous', mom n' dad are gonna have to let Al and I out of this bubble sometime."

"They will I'm sure, they just think you have some growing to do." Sig began to chop more peppers.

"I guess…" he rubbed the back of his neck and his gaze fixed downward.

"Don't be sad young prince, here." Sig handed him two more triangles of the pepper wrap, "One for your brother, and one for the road." he winked and sent Ed on his way, munching on his treat.

"Hey Al! I got something for ya!"

"Really?!"

"Yea, and don't feed it to the damn cat."

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful everywhere but inside of Ed's head. Al had asked him what was wrong but Ed just gave shut down excuses like "Nothing" or "Just Daydreaming", it was causing Al to grow increasingly concerned.

The thoughts kept Al awake in the late hours of the night. He found himself sliding out of bed and heading to Ed's room, the cat trailing behind as well _for the cat followed him everywhere._

"Brother, please just tell me what's wrong, you're behaving really… off. It's scaring me brother, please tell me what's on your mind."

Ed sat on his bed and just stared at Al for a moment, there was a hurricane in his memories, tornado warnings in his emotions, and a tsunami was hitting him hard in his logical thinking. Where the fuck to begin?

Ed decided on sliding over and patting the empty space on the bed beside him to start. Al accepted the invitation to sit, the cat jumping on his lap.

"I was eavesdropping on some soldiers earlier…"

"What? why?!" Al asked.

"Because I wanna investigate and prove that we are old enough to be out on our own by catching this guy!" Ed gripped the bedding.

"B-but we're under close watch after the last time we snuck out!" Al protested.

"Not since the robbery," Ed smirked, "There's even lower security than before on the palace since that guy broke in cause they are all looking for him."

Al paused in thought, "That, is kinda weird huh."

"What is?" Ed tilted his head in thought.

"Well," The younger ran his fingers through the cat's fur, "The security on the palace is lower than ever, it would actually be the best time to strike since everyone is out on the streets."

Ed paused, "You're right… That is weird, but nobody would be able to make it in here again and get past all the guards on the streets."

A bead of sweat dropped down the younger's forehead, "Unless…"

"Unless?"

"Unless he doesn't look the same as he did before…" his breath hitched, "Brother, that night the thief didn't jump over us… he flew. There wasn't enough space above us for someone as tall as him to jump that quickly. It felt like a bird was swooping over our heads."

The older prince stared for a moment, "But that's… Impossible."

"Brother, nobody knows what's possible and what's not until they are proved wrong."

"Yea but-"

Something bumped their door in the hallway before rushing off in the same direction a certain someone had gone a few nights ago.

The boys turned to each other, and with determination in their eyes, ran to the door and swung it open. They ran fearlessly down the hall.

They stopped at the study again, two unconscious guards lying at the door. They halted and looked inside the room to find it once more filthy, but empty still.

"Damn it." Ed muttered, "Come on Al."

They ran to his last escape route and saw him quickly _gliding_ towards the ground. "Okay that's definitely not normal." Al whimpered as Ed grabbed his hand, pulling Al behind him.

"We should tell mom and dad…" Al seemed worried.

"No, not this time, we've gotta prove ourselves Al." the younger swallowed in fear as he was pulled along, why did Ed always get him into trouble like this?

They found themselves running out the nearest exit and giving chase to the criminal in the distance.

"Come on Al! We're losing him!" They turned down another empty dark street as the man running ahead of them didn't seem to notice the children tracking him.

They followed him all the way to the outskirts of their kingdom, the man entered a hut and the boys peeked through the window.

"Ah, Envy, about time you got back, do you have the rest of it now my son?" a deep voice cut though the quiet air.

"Of course father," an androgynous voice replied, "I wasn't interrupted this time."

"Well done. Bring the other half to me so I can finish my work with it." he held out his hand as the figure dropped what seemed to be part of an amulet into the blonde, hooded man's hands. He walked over to a chest and opened it up, revealing what looked to be a matching half.

"Now I can finally take what's mine. Everything will belong to me now that I have both halves of the dragon amulet, and the stone to power it." Ed and Al gasped at what he'd said and quickly ducked down, hoping they weren't noticed.

"Envy…"

"Yes Father?"

"It seems we have some trespassers…" the boys' blood ran cold.

They found themselves being grabbed and dragged into the hut and turned to face the man.

They shivered.

"D-dad?" Alphonse squeaked.

"Not quite." the man responded without much emotion as he turned to Envy, "It seems that these boys are the princes."

A cruel smirk spread over the other person's face, "Indeed."

"Let's send a message to the king about the limits of my power, shall we? Just a little threat. I'm sure he won't miss his sons too much."

The man uttered phrases that seemed almost impossible for a human tongue to make as a large ball of purple energy formed in front of them. "No!" Edward shouted, leaping toward the man with the amulet and ripped it off, the adrenaline aiding him in eliminating the threat. However the magic seemed to grow out of control as the two pieces split apart. The red glowing stone in the center emitting a bright light with a terrifying energy.

"Envy! We must escape! Go to our cave! Quickly! Gather your siblings and I'll see you there!" the doppelganger ordered as the androgynous one shifted into another form and shot out the window while the man snatched the red stone away and fled.

The blast came at him so quickly he didn't have time to dodge, but someone else found time to move, "Brother no!"

Then suddenly everything felt different. Pain everywhere but two places, numb, completely numb, where-

That was it… they weren't even there anymore.

Ed stared in horror at his missing arm and could no longer feel the leg he was sure was missing too. He gazed up and saw Al's body in front of him, spasming and sparking…

Al had taken the blow for him…

Edward felt weak as he passed out.

* * *

Fluffles had no idea what the FUCK was going on, but she wanted no part of it. She ran back home as soon as she saw the ominous dark man drag her boy and the other one in.

She arrived at the castle to find guards surrounding the people who her boy calls his parents and attempted to get their attention, mewing at them.

The attempts were futile. All they could ask was where their sons where or where the amulet went.

The cat decided that it was time she got actual help and swiped at the leg of the king. He yelled in surprise and pain before glaring at the cat, who was covered in the mud from outdoors.

"The cat…" he uttered, "It follows Al everywhere! Follow the cat!" he called as Fluffles rushed out the door, leading the group to the outskirts of the kingdom. Captain Mustang kicked down the door to find Edward, sprawled out on the ground with two limbs missing, and a beast in the corner.

The only clue as to what happened was left in the form of a note on the door.

" _One crippled, the other practically dead._

 _Let this be a warning to you dear king._

 _The beast is worst at night, avoid it while the moon shines_

 _The limbs of your boy won't grow back with any normal magic_

 _Only the purest form of love can bring back the younger_

 _That, or if the stone and amulet are joined again,_

 _Then he will be able to be found._ _"_

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I'd really appreciate any feedback you'd like to give so feel free to leave me some! Expect the next chapter soon!**


	3. The Beast

**Hello! It's been a bit but I have a new chapter here! A few things are revealed and some more interesting stuff happens! Enjoy!**

* * *

As Edward gained his consciousness, he looked up to see a bright light in his eyes, causing him to squint. He could see the back of Yuriy Rockbell, one of the royal doctors pulling gauze out of a cabinet.

The faint yet frantic screams of his mother soon hit his ears as well. "Is he going to be okay?"

Ed slowly blinked and focused on breathing. It sorta hurt to breath actually.

Then he felt the pain hitting him like a bullet.

He screamed as his mind was thrown into consciousness. It all hurt so bad, tears poured down his cheeks.

"Mum! Mum! Where? I want-" the nine year old whimpered as Trisha rushed over to him, lightly holding his left hand whispering words of comfort that she didn't really seem to believe herself.

He looked towards the sources of his pain, in fact he couldn't look away.

His Arm…

His Leg…

Where-

Ed's irregular breathing quickened as the prior night's events came back to him.

They followed that, thing… back to the hut. There was the man who looked like his father…

Then he used the magic, and he felt sudden terror… he'd grabbed the amulet then… Horror struck him.

"Mom? M-mom?"

She looked down at Ed with a sad look, "What is it?"

"Where- where's Alphonse?"

Tears poured down her face, "Oh Edward."

As her tears dripped on Edward's cheek he seemed to understand and mixed his own tears with hers.

* * *

Captain Mustang had a long and sleepless night. He had not expected to be following an abnormally large cat to the outskirts of the kingdom.

What he saw, would frighten any normal man to his core.

The eldest prince was there, bloody and missing two limbs..

And a beast above him, the greatest monster known to man.

There was a dragon standing above the prince.

It seemed dizzy and disoriented as the king grabbed his son and ordered men to get him to the hospital wing of the palace.

The dragon thankfully appeared to only be a baby, and was able to be detained and chained as it snarled and swiped at the soldiers dragging it to the dungeon.

Prince Alphonse was not found at the scene, leaving only one explanation.

Whoever the hell had left that note had locked the princes in there with a dragon. The Dragon ate the younger, and ripped off two of the older's limbs.

The dragon was dragged into the dungeon to be publicly executed to give the kingdom closure for their loss. They'd left the dragon there all night and had told the captain to check on the beast come morning.

However what Mustang expected to hear was roars and snarls as he entered to dungeons… not the whimpers of a crying child. He approached the cell with caution to see a golden haired boy sobbing with terrified eyes. The giant cat from the night before beside him with what looked like something smuggled from the kitchen.

It was what lead Roy to bust into the the throne room and shout, "Your Majesty! Call off the execution!"

Hohenheim stood up, "And why is that Captain?"

Mustang walked up to his ear and whispered, "There is something you need to see."

With that the king followed him to the dungeons to find the boy sniffling and petting that cat. He looked up at the man in front of him with scared eyes.

"Dad?" he asked meekly

"Alphonse." The king uttered.

"What am I doing in here?" he asked hesitantly.

"You don't remember?" the king asked, holding onto a bar.

"No… I just remember jumping in front of the blast and then I woke up in this… cell." tears welled up, "I thought the bad man had gotten me, h-he looked just like you dad."

Hohenheim frowned, this was troublesome, "Hawkeye."

"Yes Majesty?" she stood at attention.

"Go and retrieve the note from last night."

"Of course." and she was off. Upon returning with the note, Hohenheim read it a second time, a frown painted on his face.

 _"One crippled, the other practically dead._

 _Let this be a warning to you dear king._

 _The beast is worst at night, avoid it while the moon shines_

 _The limbs of your boy won't grow back with any normal magic,_

 _Only the purest form of love can bring back the younger_

 _That, or if the stone and amulet are joined again,_

 _Then he will be able to be found."_

The phrases 'practically dead' and 'the beast is worst at night' stuck out to him, Alphonse wasn't completely gone, he only transformed into the dark monster at nightfall. However when he saw how to break the spell, he faltered. Love was impossible.

His boy was too young and love took time…

He was relieved to find that the amulet was found in Ed's remaining hand, however there was no way he would ever get his hands on a philosopher's stone.

Alphonse looked towards his father with pleading eyes, "Dad? Please let me out?"

A tear fell to the concrete ground, "No."

Tears were immediately streaming down his son's face, "But why?! What did I do?!"

"It's too dangerous."

"How am I dangerous?" Al asked, stepping back with a sniff.

So, the king told him of the beast he was the night prior, and that he would become once more at nightfall. He told him there was no way to break the curse that was within reach, and that they had to take… extreme measures.

Al whimpered, "I-I have to live somewhere else?"

"Yes son…"

"Will I still be able to see mom and brother?"

"I'm afraid not." Hohenheim gripped his hands at his side. He ordered Alphonse to stay in place with two guards while he went to find his wife and eldest son.

They were found in the hospital wing, his son's wounds were dressed and his mother was holding him close as he sobbed.

"Trisha." she looked up to him at her name. "There is something to discuss."

"Okay." she stood up with Edward in her arms but was stopped.

"Edward has to stay here. This regards Alphonse." Ed looked betrayed at those words.

"N-no, dad please, wh-why dad why?!" he refused to let go of his mother as she sat him down.

"You'll know everything after our discussion, let the adults talk about this, okay?" Trisha said, her voice on the edge of tears.

Ed reluctantly let go as his golden eyes watered, watching his mother follow his father out of the room, leaving him alone to worry about Al.

In the meeting room were Van Hohenheim's highest men. His wife of course. Captain Roy Mustang. Second in Command, Riza Hawkeye.

Many other had attended the meeting as well, other officers such as the Armstrong siblings, Hughes, Havoc, Breda, Falman, Fuery, and a man rising quickly in the ranks, Bradley.

Hohenheim stood and announced, "It has come to light that my youngest son has been cursed by a dark mage. There is no way to cure it, and the only way for him to live is to be locked away in a tower for the rest of his life."

Trisha broke down into tears at his words, "Nobody will be allowed to see him. But we shall tell the public that he is able to be cured and that he has to wait to be rescued my the one who knows how to break his curse."

Trisha was escorted out of the room and pulled her son into her arms as soon as she stepped into his room.

"M-mom?" he asked fearfully, "What's wrong mom!?" She looked down at him, his lip was wibbling and he looked very much ready to cry.

"Pe-perhaps it's bett-better your father tells you." she hiccupped, holding him close.

The thing that the king told the child, was the lie.

And Edward cried.

Alphonse was escorted to a tower far away from the kingdom and was shown around his new, smaller living space. "There is a large area downstairs, chain yourself down there at nightfall so you won't escape after your transformation."

"What about when day comes dad?"

"You should have shrunk enough by then to free yourself with ease."

Alphonse nodded as his breath hitched. His father had left some books, and canned food and water to last him a long while as they left him.

"You are a danger to everyone around you, you have to stay here so that the public won't be at risk." Hohenheim sighed, "I love you very much my son, but it's for the greater good."

His last words to his son, "I'd get in those chains now, it's nearly nightfall. You don't want to hurt anyone, do you?"

And so Alphonse listened.

By the late night the king had arrived home, he held his wife close as she cried.

"It's for the best."

Trisha was silent.

* * *

Edward didn't sleep at night, it was as if he'd lost the ability.

He never wanted to do anything anymore, not even answering when Winry would talk to him. Books seemed a lot less interesting without Alphonse as well, just incomprehensible words on paper.

All he could do was sit and watch from his chair, he couldn't train with teacher, play with Winry, or wander around on his own.

It was almost as depressing as Edward felt.

The boy who once had a bottomless stomach now picked at his food like a bird and whimpered for his brother in his sleep.

Three days after everything was said and done, Hohenheim spoke to his eager people, his wife and remaining son beside him on the balcony.

"My youngest son, Alphonse has been cursed by a dark mage." at his announcement many people gasped in shock as whispers flew around, "The spell he has been put under has made it so only one can break the curse, and that person is the only one who will save him. They will know when the time has come to rescue the prince from the tower."

Trisha gripped the railing of the balcony while Edward only stared down, unseeing as he was lost in his thoughts. He could hear the shocked murmurs of the people below as a tear slipped down his cheek.

He brought his broken gaze up to his mother as he tugged on her dress.

She looked down at him as he whimpered, "Take me inside, please."

She nodded and wheeled her son inside.

* * *

Six months had passed and Edward had been doing awful in his studies. His mother, deciding he needed a study mate, had Winry attend lessons with him.

They would do their busy work together, then Winry would try to make conversation. Though Ed had not spoken to anyone at all for a while after his brother being locked away, he soon gave into Winry's persistence.

"Hey Ed, wanna play chess?" she questioned, motioning to the board.

"Nah," he exhaled, "I've played it a million times, I'd much rather play something where I can move."

Winry hesitated, "But… you can't play something like that…"

Ed sighed, "I know…"

The king would watch his son daily in sadness, "It seems that the fact that his brother is only locked away has been of no comfort to him." he spoke to his wife one night.

"I think that our son is too busy grieving to think that the situation isn't as bad as it could be." Trisha replied, closing the window in their room.

"True, I don't think it would be a good idea to discuss it either, it may just dig his wound deeper." he sat on the large bed, bringing his hand up to his temples.

Trisha sat next to him as they laid down to rest in silence.

* * *

Alphonse awoke with a headache before he took the long walk up the stairs to the top of the tower in which he lived, he swung open the cracked door and reached down onto a latched door on the floor. He lifted up the door and grabbed a can of beans before shoving it shut.

He did some work to light his furnace before placing the can on the stove top and waiting for it to cook.

Al's stomach grumbled as he allowed his thoughts to run wild. Look at him, a prince, living like this. Though he wasn't much of a prince anymore, was he? He could never leave this tower again unless he wanted to hurt a lot of people. He sighed as he fell back onto his couch. Edward was guaranteed the throne, the boys hadn't discussed it much though they did have some new ideas about it.

" _Hey Al, you ever wondered about what it's like to be the king?" they watched from across the throne room as their father met with people seeking an audience._

" _I haven't really thought about that actually." Al responded, "Won't the throne go to you brother? You are the oldest."_

 _Ed shrugged, "Yea but ruling all by myself sounds lame as hell."_

 _Al giggled, "You won't be alone brother, you are gonna have to get married like mom and dad are! You'll have a queen."_

 _Ed looked repulsed and stuck out his tongue, "Eiiyuch! No thanks! Girls are gross! And Annoying."_

" _Not they're not, is mom annoying and gross?"_

 _Ed crossed his arms, "No! Mom is nice and smells like flowers." he huffed, "But the only other girl we know our age is Winry and she's the most annoying person I know. Never shuts up about her mechanical stuff."_

" _Don't be so mean." Al frowned, "She just has different interests than us."_

 _The six year old rolled his eyes in response, "Yea, yea, whatever… to be honest the only person I can see myself ruling with in the future is you, I mean it's only fair."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _We can rule and make decisions together, why have only one king!?" Ed smirked._

" _Two kings, is that even allowed?" Al asked, resting his hand on his cheek._

" _If not, when I become king, I'll make it allowed."_

 _Al laughed, "Alright then_ _ **King**_ _Edward, I'm looking forward to it."_

" _As am I_ _ **King**_ _Alphonse."_

 _The boys laughed at their playful words as the group seeking audience left, giving the kids a glance with a smile._

Al held onto that memory as tears welled up, he sure did miss that. The smell of beans reached his nostrils as he got ready to eat his breakfast. He'd been starving every morning since he first began transforming. He found himself drooling over the food that one would get sick of quickly if they were normal.

His lip wibbled as he took a bite, cause he sure as hell wasn't.

* * *

 **Ah! Who doesn't love waking up to angst in the morning! Anyhow! I hope you enjoyed and look forward to any feedback you have for me! Thanks for reading!**


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